St. Matthäus-Kirche

Meditative, spiritual, and profoundly original: for the Good Friday observances in the Andalusian city of Cádiz, Joseph Haydn composed seven instrumental movements that meditate on the last words of the crucified Jesus. Each movement draws on the melody and rhythm of the Latin text and unfolds a richly imagined sound world. The culmination is an expressive finale depicting the earthquake after Jesus’ death. As part of our Biennale Signs & Wonders, members of the Berliner Philharmoniker perform this work in its string quartet version.